The (Beautiful) Schla La Las

There's something that's been bothering me for a while now. It's not a 'wake up in the middle of the night perched on the window sill ready to jump' kind of botheration, but a niggling, gnawing annoyance that will gradually drag me down into a pit of despair, over a period of some years. That kind. You know - hmm.

Now, before I go into one, I should say I've got nothing against The Pipettes. They're fine people I’m sure, their band is tidy enough (Monster Bobby, we like), their music is all very nice and nice and pretty and nice. But the thing that bothers me, the thing that nags at me like a shy albino, is if why The Pipettes, why not The Schla La Las?

Now, I'm getting into tricky waters, because The Schlas would no doubt string me up and batter me for even mentioning them in the same breath as The Pipettes, but I'm sorry Schlas, the comparisons are there to be made - matching outfits drawn from the 50s and 60s, songs about boys and girls and stuff, theme songs, harmonies a'go-go - you're not getting away from it I'm afraid.

But where The Pipettes have stuck determinedly to the blue print, The Schlas have taken it on to disarm, and then take a different path. Songs about boys and girls and stuff yes, but the girls are firmly in charge. Musically inspired by the 50s and 60s yes, but also informed by all that has gone since, not solely the girl-group pop. And as they’ll tell you, they play their own instruments (ooooooh!).

The Schlas are always play-full of attitude and subtly subversive, and Up For It has all this and more, a statement of girls in charge intent - as does their cover of Add It Up, switching the boot to the other foot, which is shortly going to be kicking you square in the cods. Bosh.

Don’t worry though - it’s okay to love The Schla La Las – just don’t take your eye of them for a second, or you’ll be in Germany, stuffing your face before you know it.

More tracks can be found on Schla Demos, released on Truck and available from here, and their Myspace. Their first single, again on Truck, is due out this summer. The Schlas Prom is at The Water Rats on 26th of May, and they play The Truck Festival this summer.

The Schla La Las – Up For It

The Schla La Las – Add It Up